


the boyfriend has a birthday

by candidshot



Series: Moments in the life of Alec and Magnus [41]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Humor, M/M, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-11 23:26:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12946302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candidshot/pseuds/candidshot
Summary: Alec is acting suspicious.Then one day, Alec walks in on Maryse and Magnus in a fit of laughter.





	the boyfriend has a birthday

**Author's Note:**

> Moments in the Life of Alec and Magnus series; random/unrelated writings in the form of drabbles/ficlets that have only 1 thing in common, Magnus and Alec being madly in love. mostly. XD

When Alec shows up at Magnus’s with a sticking plaster wrapped around a finger, Magnus surveys for injury very concerned. “What happened?”

Alec shrugs. “Oh… just  _a thing_. Nothing serious”.

Magnus raised his eyebrows at the vague reply. “Just be careful”.

But then a few days later Alec shows up with sticking plasters wrapped around three fingers this time.

Magnus drops the book he’s reading and instead, takes Alec’s hands in his. “Alexander, what happened this time?”

Again, Alec shrugs, “Oh, you know _… a thing_ ”, he replies, his eyes looking everywhere but at Magnus.

Magnus gently rubs his finger over Alec’s, looking him frank in the face. “Another  _thing_?”

Alec nods. “Yeah”. His eyes still avoiding Magnus’s suspicion.  

Magnus lets the matter go but the next time when Alec shows up with scratches and burns on his forearm and his knuckles, Magnus doesn’t even move. Instead, he flips through the pages of the book he’s reading, and says instead. “Let me guess... another  _thing_  happened?”

Alec immediately realises that excuse will not work anymore but still, he nods, “Yeah… you can say that”.

Still turning the pages of the book, Magnus nonchalantly asks, “What exactly is this  _thing_?”

Alec makes a thinking sound. “Oh you know...”.

“No, I really don’t”.

“Don’t worry about it, Magnus. I’ve got you covered”.

“Got me covered for what?”

“You know… the  _thing_ ”.

Magnus doesn’t push it. Obviously, he’ll need some Izzy help on this.

But Izzy is just as vague. “Alec is just doing  _a thing_ … trying  _a thing_. Nothing to worry about”.

Not that Magnus is too surprised since these two siblings are partners in crime but… “He has scratches, Isabelle, burns and cuts. I think that’s plenty to worry about”.

“Magnus…”, Izzy smiles at him and it’s really soft, innocent and convincing. “Ignore it”.

Almost convincing--- so Magnus goes to his next good bet.

“Sorry man. I can’t tell you what but it’s definitely nothing to worry about, Magnus. It’s a good  _thing_ ”.

Jace turns out just as tightlipped, and the cocky secretive grin on his lips makes him, Alec and Izzy all the more very suspicious.

But Magnus will not be deterred. He really doesn’t want to be sceptical or even pessimistic as to how the conversation would go because he truly believes he and his next suspect have made progress in their relationship----

“Oh Magnus, looking for Alec?”

Maryse’s smile is also genuine but it makes Magnus suspicious all the more.

“Actually, I’m looking for you”.

“For me?”, her eyes wide with curiosity and surprise.  “Is it something about Alec?”

“Yes. I think…”, and then Magnus pauses, fiddling with his fingers while thinking how best to explain things. “He’s been getting cuts and burns but he won’t tell me why or how he’s getting them”.

“What do you mean?”, she asks, fear suddenly clouding her eyes. “Cuts and burns where?”

“Mostly on his hands. His fingers mostly”.

From Maryse being deep in thought, Magnus figures he’s hit another dead-end. “I wonder if he has been working out too much? Where on his hands exactly?”

“His knuckles… burns near his wrist”.

“Burns?!”

“That’s right but----“,

Magnus is stopped by Maryse’s laughter.  “What is it?”

“Nothing”, she answers, fighting hard to stop her laughs. “Magnus, my boy is a hard worker and you’re in for a treat… hopefully”. She then breaks out in giggles, much to Magnus’s confusion and yet he’s amused, seeing a side of her had never seen yet.

“What’s that supposed to me?”

Damping the happy tears from around her eyes, Maryse answers. “It means, look forward to it”.

“Forward to what?”

Magnus, now more than ever can no longer just let things be. Alec is up to something and everyone but him is in on the little secret and it’s making him a tad sad – a bit irritated. After all, he doesn’t like not knowing things that concern his Alexander. And so, if Alec is in danger then of course, he must be the Prince in love’s armour off to save his  _damsel_ in distress – so to speak. “

Well I just hope you like your steak medium rare”, Maryse then says.

Magnus tilts his head to the side, confused. “What does steak have to do with anything?”

“Everything”, and even she is getting excited, breaking into laughs again. “Magnus, you really haven’t yet figured it out?”

“Figure what out?” Magnus is reaching his limit. “We jumped from Alec having cuts and burns to me liking my steak done medium rare so forgive me if I’m a little slow at connecting the do--“

Stopping mid-sentence, Magnus’s eyes widen in realisation, looking at Maryse who’s still chirpy with laughter, her eyes still wide and full with impatience, waiting for Magnus to put two and two together.

Magnus shakes his head, a smile slowly forming around his lips as he looks Maryse in the eyes. “Wait. Is he cooking for me?”

Maryse’s eyes are wide with excitement, clasping her hands in letting Magnus know he’d hit bingo!  “Well, he has been practicing”.

Magnus is still stiff in stupor allowing everything to sink in before bursting out in laughter. “But it’s obviously not going well”, he giggles, holding his tummy.

“Oh but it has”, she tells him, almost no longer trying to stop herself from laughing. “He has Izzy acting as the guinea pig. Has her doing all sorts of simulation on how you would act. He’s also baking a cake. I think that’s where the burns come from. He got the heating all wrong and tried to save the cake but it was already  _adios_ ”.

Magnus’s eyes are wide with surprise but also confusion and specks of disbelief imagining Alec in a kitchen, possibly wearing an apron and smelling sweet from cake batter and icing.  

Maryse is still in high spirits. “Well I don’t know what you’ve done to my son but he’s changed so much--- being this restless, adventurous and cheerful like people his age are supposed to”.

Magnus is still in disbelief, marvelling at how much he’s being loved and thought of. “I really don’t know what I’ve done to deserve him”.

Maryse pats him on the shoulder. “Oh, but I do”.

“You do?”

“Yeah”, she smiles, her eyes sparkling with genuine glee. “You love him”.  

It takes a few seconds for Magnus to process everything – Maryse’s words and Alec in a kitchen mincing garlic and clove and rosemary – perhaps in an apron too tiny for him and how cute he must look being naturally clumsy and nervous in the kitchen. Magnus laughs out loud, growing red with love because shit, Alec really loves him and he just as much loves Alec to death.

In a chorus, Maryse and Magnus’s laughter bubbles leaves the office and filters down the hallway – belly cramping laughter as they both imagine Alec being wide eyed and confused and innocent in the kitchen even with a recipe book – his thick eyebrows deep in concentration as though plotting war against a piece of raw steak - spices and fire, his loyal weapons – and Magnus swears, he would do anything to see Alec cooking while deep on thoughts, thinking about him because, he’s a thousand percent sure that the Alec cooking while thinking about him is the most adorable existence to grace the whole universe.  

Just then, Alec shows up at Maryse’s office, standing by the door with his eyes big and full of confusion while looking from Maryse to Magnus then back to Maryse and to Magnus again – clearly not sure if he should first ask why they’re laughing or why they were laughing together or why they’re together in the first place.

Moving closer, walking as though stepping on egg shells, he asks. “What’s going on here?”.

Magnus is first to answer. “Oh nothing much… just  _a thing_ ”, and a giggle pushes from his throat, trying his best to stifle a laughter.

So of course, Alec keeps looking from him and back to his mother – Magnus and Maryse laughing together is a rare sight indeed – it must be the ‘M’ in their names.

“Why are you here, Magnus?”

Magnus shrugs. “I just told you, there’s this  _thing_  I had to do”.

“What thing?”

“You know… that  _thing_ ”.

“No. I don’t know”, is Alec’s reply, all the more suspecting with his forehead in a frown, obviously trying hard to rationalise things.  

And when Magnus laughs while making eye contact with Maryse, beyond a doubt, Alec is sure the world is up to something so he carefully asks, “Is there something I need to know?”

“Like what?”

By now, Alec knows for a fact that Magnus is playing him. “I feel like there’s something you both know but I don’t”.

“Alexander, the important thing to remember is that I’m all for effort”.

Alec looks over at his mother, his eyes searching hers for something. “Effort for what?”

“Oh you know”, Magnus smirks. “Oh, and I prefer red wine in my cake”.

The sudden realisation in Alec’s eyes doesn’t go unnoticed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about”.

But Magnus is all chipper. “Oh, you’ll know”, he bows and is waving goodbye to Maryse, both of them sharing one last secret smile before Magnus turns to Alec saying, “Just try not to burn yourself so much”.

And just like that he leaves.

Maryse is still in high spirit. “Alec dear, try not to hurt yourself”, and she’s truly worried, taking his hands in hers checking the sticking plasters all over his fingers. “No use planning a surprise if you, yourself can’t keep a secret. Just look at you. Did you really think Magnus wouldn’t notice?”

Blood suddenly flushes over Alec pink as he slowly realises exactly what’s happening.

He’s caught.

Magnus knows about his birthday surprise.  

“Mother. You told him?” and he almost sounds betrayed.

“Of course not. We’re talking about a guy who crashed your wedding. He walked in on a shadowhunter’s wedding and crashed it for you so really, you actually told him yourself with all those bruises”.

Alec groans, falling to the ground in defeat. Now that Magnus knows, he’ll need to practice five or six times harder since backing out is no longer an option.  

“I don’t think I can do this”, he tells her.  

Maryse smiles and there’s pride in the way she’s looking at him. “Just put your heart and soul into it. That’s all that counts”.

Alec groans again, still feeling defeated.

So she rubs his shoulder and tells him, “You’re one lucky boy, Alexander Lightwood”.

Alec sighs, standing up and thinking to go find Magnus and relax with his man for the rest of the evening. “How lucky?”

She takes his face in her palms. “Good luck with your steak, son”.  

Alec groans, though it doesn’t take long to cherish the pleasantness of not only his dedication to giving Magnus his belly full of love and food, but also - like the perfect dessert, he found Magnus and his mother in a fit of laughter.

He kisses his mother on the cheek. “I’ll be taking over the kitchen again tonight so if you like, you can take over from Izzy and become my taster”.

She laughs, quite amused. “I love you, but I’m not going to become a guinea pig for my son’s love life”.

Alec gives her his innocent puppy eyes. “But that would make you, my favourite girl”.

Maryse laughs again. “I thought that was Izzy”.

Alec returns the gladness. “Nothing wrong with me having two favourite girls”.

Few days later, Alec sends Magnus a text message;

_Alec: I’ve perfected the art._

_Magnus: What art?_

_Alec: The thing that will make your stomach happy._

Magnus sends back an emoji with flushed cheeks, heart eyes and salivating with the attached note  _\- I’ll definitely be up for seconds._

Magnus is glad.

Magnus is happy.

Magnus is grateful.

Magnus is excited.

Magnus is filled with so much love that he might either just burn or pop like an oversized ball of colourful confetti – his heart and belly soon to be full by Alec’s heart and soul stuffed into steak, grilled to his liking.

Well, hopefully.

Then they meet.

Alec removes the cover off the silver platter in front of Magnus who’s seated and can hardly wait to eat. “Here’s your steak done medium rare”.

There’s a long pause.

“Alexander…”.

“Yes?”

“It’s burnt”.

“No, it’s not. Charcoal is a thing these days”.

Alec is definitely in denial.

“No. I’m pretty sure this is burnt – this steak is neither medium rare nor charcoal”.

Alec doesn’t say anything, he’s only looking at the charred steak---- “Okay let’s go”.

“Where to?” Magnus is quick on his feet.

“There’s this great smoky steakhouse on the other side of town”.

Magnus chuckles. “I won’t refuse”, he says, taking out his phone and clicking a picture of Alec’s hard work for him.

After all, it’s the effort that counts.

Alec then dumps the entire silver platter in the garbage bin. “I’m sorry, Magnus”.

“Don’t be. I’m all for effort”.

“I’ll perfect it for next year”.

They soon grab their coats to go – Magnus helping Alec fix his winter scarf. “You really don’t have to”.

“You don’t want me to? Do you doubt my skill?”

Magnus shakes his head, though trying to hide the laughter curving the side of his lips. “I just don’t want to see my baby hurt”.

“I’m not a baby”.

“Well you sure are mine”.

Alec doesn’t deny it a second time.

“Let’s stop by your favourite cake shop later and get a slice”.

Alec is holding Magnus’s hand in his, keeping it warm in this own coat pocket. “One slice only?”  

“Well yes”, Magnus answers, gently wrapping his fingers around Alec’s. “Because we'll share - with of course, you feeding me with your mouth”.

The smile on Alec’s face is like a candle on a birthday cake.

And as they continue to the steakhouse hand folded in hand, Alec leans over and damps a kiss to his warlock's forehead. “Happy birthday, Magnus”.

And just so, Magnus presses a quick kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek. “Thank you, Alexander”.

\---

_magnus x alec დღ♡❣❥❧♥ _


End file.
